Tabula Rasa
by CagedCanary
Summary: Albus has enough to worry about; The upcoming O.W.L.s, his baby sister dating the biggest git on the face of the wizardry world, the fact that he might have unrequited love for his best mate. He didn't need some bloody ancient magic making it worse.
1. The Tablet

**A/N:** Here is the Albus Severus/Scorpius fanfiction, as promised!

**Disclaimer:** The characters and universe in this fanfiction all belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.

* * *

Wide green eyes bore into the back of Scorpius Malfoy's head as Albus Potter followed his best friend out of the Hogwart's library; his fingers clenched the books he had only just checked out tightly as the two Slytherins trailed down the fourth floor corridors, catching the stair case to the fifth.

"I can't believe she wouldn't allow me to check out the books I needed," The Malfoy complained, "Thank Merlin you were there to save my tail."

"I'm _always_the one who 'saves your tail'," The black haired boy reminded his friend with a slight roll of his eyes, "Maybe if you actually _returned_ your books on time you wouldn't have been banned from checking any more out. You know, for someone who dislikes studying so much, you sure seem to like your books."

"I read for pleasure," Scorpius replied, "I don't need books for studying unless the Professor wants us to research something new, it's all up here." He explained to Albus, pointing towards his head.

"Not all of us can have such a good memory..." The Potter mumbled under his breath. He was very much used to watching Scorpius ace all his tests and O.W.L.s without even opening his notes or a book, whereas Albus struggled to remember the material, often spending his nights studying into the early hours of the morning and trying his best to remember material. He had come to realize his grades would never surpass Rose or Scorpius, who were always competing for the top grade in the classes he shared with them, and though he would never be willing to admit it to his smug friend; he was very envious of his ability.

"You're still worried about the test tomorrow, aren't you?" Scorpius asked, turning his head around to raise an eyebrow at the Potter.

"N-No..." Albus answered quickly, stepping past the Malfoy and onto the sixth floor stair case. From the look his friend gave him he was sure he knew Al was lying.

"If it would make you feel any better I'll sit with you while you study tonight." The blonde offered, "To be honest I fell asleep in class a few days back... It was a late night for me, so I need to borrow your notes anyways."

Albus rolled his eyes, "You were out with a girl again, weren't you?" He asked in annoyance. He always had gotten quite jealous when Scorpius sneaked off with what seemed to be a different girl every week, but he simply figured it was simply because... Well, the young Potter had never had a girlfriend before.

Scorpius flashed Al his well known grin and nodded, "Kayleigh Smith... She's really not the girl she comes off as in class, you know."

"Spare me the details of your sex life, Scorp," Albus groaned, running a hand through his untidy jet black hair, "Anyways, I promised Lily I'd meet her by the Gryffindor common Room... She wanted to show me something, apparently it's important."

"I was wondering why we were headed this way," Scorpius replied, stopping just before Al jumped onto the last staircase. "... I'm coming with you," he decided, striding up to stand next to his friend before the staircases begin to shift.

"I'm sure it's not as important as Lily claims it is," He told his peer, "But fine, as long as you don't mind the possibility of seeing Rose while we're there."

"I'm not the one who has a problem!" Scorpius assured Al, referring to Rose's distaste towards the blonde Slytherin.

"You're both always going at it though," the Potter pointed out, stepping off of the staircase as it arrived at its destination.

"I just do it because she's so easily worked up," his friend admitted, following him onto the seventh floor.

"Hello Albus!" A soft voice called, as Albus Potter's younger sister came rushing towards the two inseparable friends, her long red hair seemed to flow in a trail behind her as she ran. "You made it! And hello to Scorpius too!" She greeted, her honey eyes widening at the sight of Albus' best friend, "I should have known that you'd tag along!"

"Hope it's not too much of a bother!" Scorpius replied, his lips twitching into that cheeky smirk Al disliked so much. ... Or maybe he actually disliked the thought of him liking Scorpius' smirk and the way it seemed to cause his heart to jump.

Ah! No! He couldn't think that way; this was his best mate after all!

"He's like a lost dog, I swear. I couldn't shake him off my leg if I tried," Al simply said, flashing a smirk that challenged Scorpius', much to his own surprise. What was with him lately?

"Not that you mind, git!" The Slytherin teased straight back at Albus, nodding towards the Fat Lady, "We'd better hurry before a Professor spots us; I'm sure Rose will threaten to say something as it is!"

Lily simply nodded and leaned in close to the Fat Lady to whisper, "Lux et tenebra."

The portrait creaked open, but not before shouting at the red haired girl, "Slytherins in my common room **AGAIN**? You're a trouble maker, Lily Potter!"

The trio stumbled into the room which was draped in gold and red furniture. Albus almost tumbled over a foot stool, causing him to receive an odd look from Olivia Longbottom.

"What are you blokes doing in here?" Hayden Baddock asked, his lips twitching into a grin as he strode over to the three.

"Can't a man visit his best mate's sister?" Scorpius replied, fully knowing that Hayden didn't give a damn they were here at all.

"Well, it kind of ruins the moment I planned on having with Lily here," The brunette boy answered, dropping his arm around Lily's shoulders which caused her to flush a colour that could rival her hair's own. The sight of the pair caused Albus to gag a little; Hayden was bad-mannered and greasy, he had no idea what his sister would see in a boy like that. He would rather she dated someone like Lorcan Lovegood or his twin brother, Lysander. Al could never tell them apart anyways, but they were okay at least, besides the occasional comment about nargles, that is.

"Well you can save it for some other time, Baddock, I need my sister here..." He grabbed a hold of Lily's arm and pulled her away from Hayden, quickly directing her away from the brunet, leaving him with a confused look on his face.

"Aw c'mon Al, he doesn't know any better." Said Scorpius, attempting to maintain the chuckle Albus knew was rising in his throat. Sometimes Scorpius could be such a bastard.

"Why the hell do you date him, Lil?" The Potter asked his younger sister, ignoring his best friend's comments, "He's such a bloody brute."

"Albus!" Lily gasped slightly, lowering her voice so Hayden wouldn't hear, "Don't talk about him like that. Besides, I still have something to show you. Wait here for me, okay?"

Albus rolled his eyes in annoyance but nodded anyways, watching as Lily smiled in relief and rushed up the girl's dormitory's stairway.

It was only moments afterwards that Lily returned with a large tablet in her hands. It was written in ancient runes, a class that Albus had always done very well in. It was unlike any of those he had seen in his classes before; there was something different to it, but Al couldn't quite put his finger on just what that was.

"I want you to read this for me," said Lily.

"What in Merlin's name is _that _thing?" Scorpius had always been more vocal with his opinions; it was his questioning that actually seemed to break Albus' concentration on the ancient tablet.

"Lily... Where did you find this?" The Potter questioned his sister. It seemed rather odd that she, out of all people, would be the one who discovered something so rare. It wasn't that Albus thought his sister was incapable or anything, it just seemed... So _random_.

"When we went to Diagon Alley before school started! I thought I could surprise you because I've been studying more, but I couldn't for the life of me understand what it means. It's been bugging me ever since... I suppose I thought you might like to try and decode it!" His sister explained, attempting to hand Albus the tablet. He didn't bother to lift his hands to accept it, instead his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"There's not a shop in Diagon Alley that would sell something like this, Lily. Trust me; I would know."

"I know..." The redhead sighed and set the ancient rock onto the coffee table next to her, "I kind of... Bought it from a street peddler."

"A street peddler?" Albus repeated, his green eyes widening slightly at this news, "Don't you remember what mum had to say about them? She said they were all over the place during and after the Second Wizard War and that whatever they sell you is a load of rubbish! How much did you spend on this?"

"I didn't spend anything!" Lily replied, her lips twitching into a frown. "The man said that I could have it. He said that he could never sell it anyways..."

"I'm sorry if I sound strict, Lily, it's just rather odd... That's all."

"Well, there's no harm in finding what it means, mate!" Scorpius piped in, reminding Albus that the pair needed to head back to the Slytherin Dungeons soon before someone who did mind them being there discovered them.

"I suppose I could take it back with me and go through a few books in the library, if you're _that_ curious, Lily."

"That would be fantastic!" Lily chimed, "Maybe you could even ask Professor Faolan about it? I'm sure he might know the proper book to find the information we need!"

"I'll ask him after class tomorrow." Albus promised, leaning over to pick up the tablet from the coffee table. "In the mean time you should get some sleep, Lily. Scorpius and I need to head out now if we want to be back in time for the curfew."

With that said, Albus was ready to head out the door. Before he left his sister pulled him into a tight hug and said, "Thank you Al! I really do appreciate it."

After they had said their goodbyes they climbed out of the portrait's exit. Albus couldn't help but notice the Fat Lady seemed to give him a stern look of disapproval just as he caught a staircase that was headed to the next level of the Hogwart's castle. He and Scorpius stayed silent for a moment or so. It was something the Potter had always hated; absolute silence. It was especially rare around his best friend, since Scorpius always seemed to have something to say, but lately it hadn't been that way. The Potter couldn't help but feel something was on Scorpius' mind that he didn't want to discuss. Though he would never admit it out loud, it angered the Slytherin slightly; couldn't they tell each other everything?

And then a small voice in the back of his head reminded him that he was being a hypocrite.

No! That wasn't true, because Albus wasn't hiding anything from Scorpius. It was just a coincidence that every time Albus spotted him flirting with a girl his heart would course with pure jealousy.

No no no! That wasn't jealousy; it was concern. Yes, concern. The blonde had far too many girlfriends and that couldn't be healthy for his future relationships, right?

Albus seemed to continue this argument with himself for a while since he didn't seem to notice they were already on the second floor until Scorpius stopped in his tracks, his grey eyes wondering over to the Potter's face, "Albus?" He asked in a soft tone that actually surprised his friend; he had never heard him speak like that before. What was that tremble in his voice? Was he nervous? Of what, though?

"Hm?" Albus mumbled in reply, "What is it?"

Suddenly, Scorpius drew himself closer to Albus; he could actually feel the warmth of his breath upon his cheek. Wide green eyes met questioning grey orbs; they seemed to speak the words the both of them didn't dare to say. The thin fingers of his friend brushed a few of the strands of his jet black hair from his face. For a moment, Albus swore he saw Scorpius ready to lean in, but instead he simply moved away, leaving the Slytherin feeling more confused than ever.

"You had... Something in your hair," Scorpius said after a moment of silence, though there was untruthfulness in his voice. Perhaps he had indeed intended on filling that space between the two friends. He had left Albus in a daze, his face still flushed from what had almost happened. The Malfoy seemed to ignore this as he continued his journey down the stairway to the main floor, and Al finally begun trailing slowly behind him once more.

They didn't speak a word other than the Slytherin password. Once they were back into the Slytherin common room the blonde placed his novels onto the coffee table and Albus carefully set the tablet next to him. Finally Scorpius turned to face his friend and broke the lingering silence, "Do you really think you can decode that thing?"

It was almost as though the Malfoy hadn't almost kissed the Potter; he seemed to have collected himself and was acting normal again, where as Albus was still flushed. It sort of annoyed Albus.

"It seems quite advanced, so it might take a while."

"Sorry, I can't help; I've never taken the course."

Ah, yes, that was correct. Perhaps that was why Albus took such pride in knowing so much about the topic; because it was something he actually knew more about than Scorpius did. Though he was certain if his friend decided to take the course he could have easily been able to help Albus.

"It's okay; I need a small side project to distract me anyways... I've got too much on my mind lately."

The blonde wrinkled his nose and the sight of him doing so actually made Albus chuckle. He knew that Scorpius wouldn't understand Albus' need to research school-like topics outside of the classroom; he would much rather read one of his novels or play Quidditch.

"Sometimes, I don't understand you."

"I guess it's kind of like what you said about your books; reading for pleasure... I'm studying for pleasure."

"That's not the same at all!" Scorpius shook his head and grinned widely, "Anyways, I'm going to head to bed. G'night Al."

"Good night, Scorp." Although the Potter enjoyed his friend's company, he didn't entirely mind him leaving. He seemed rather distracted whenever his friend was around these days anyways.

He waited until he saw Scorpius slide into the 6th year's dormitory before snatching the tablet back from where he had placed in on the coffee table. He pushed his glasses back into place before his eyes scanned over the ancient text again. He opened his text book to look for any sort of clue, but sadly was unable to find one. He reread it several times, hoping that something would click, but the answer was more advanced than his own knowledge. Of course, he had expected that. He would have to pay a visit to the library after all, it seemed. It was only a matter of looking for the right book after that, right? The answer had to be somewhere in the castle, if not the library.

Before he knew it, Albus had fallen into a slumber with his rune's textbook still in his lap and the tablet seated onto the side table next to him.


	2. The Nightmare

**Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction, I'm not J.K. Rowling, obviously. Lets get on with Chapter Three!**

* * *

_Albus was trapped inside the old runes of a building. An ancient language had been scribbled along the wall's stone length, the same words written upon the tablet Lily had brought him was displayed. He seemed to be going insane over not understanding their meaning. There was a man behind him with a tight grip on his shoulder, he kept shoving the Potter into the wall and grumbling in an angrily tone at him. He was speaking words Albus should have known, but his brain wasn't registering so he simply continued to stare blankly at the stone ahead of him. The man finally seemed to have enough with Albus' silence, because he felt his grip loosen away from him and footsteps walking away. Albus turned to look at the tall man and opened his mouth, simply to release a loud scream as a sharp pain hit him square in the stomach. He tumbled over onto his knees before a green light seemed to engulf him._

He was shaken awake moments later by a wide eyed Scorpius, his face seemed even more pale than the day Albus had met him on their very first train ride to Hogwarts. His usually cold grey eyes were widened with concern, "Albus? Albus!"

"W-What? What is it?" The Potter asked, jolting forward in the armchair he had fallen asleep in the night before. He pushed his glasses up the rim of his nose, as his green eyes stated back at Scorpius' own.

"You were screaming!" Scorpius told him, inching back away from him, "What the hell were you doing?"

"I was studying and then..." Albus begin, glancing around his surroundings. When he spotted the text book and the old tablet he remembered the night before, "I guess I must have fallen asleep."

"Yeah, no kidding..." Scorpius replied, crossing his arms over his chest, still looking a bit shaken from Al's screams, "I was shaking you for at least a few minutes before you woke up."

He went to look back at his friend and then for the first time he realized the two weren't alone; there was a crowd of Slytherins circling around the pair, "I'm fine... Sorry." He mumbled, not sure what else to say. He suddenly felt quite embarrassed.

"He must have just been having a nightmare," The blonde haired girl who stood next to Scorpius said, Albus recognized her as his friend's cousin; Silvia Greengrass. Even though Scorpius was a year her elder, she had always acted far more mature then he had. "You heard him; he's fine! Head to breakfast!" She suddenly shouted to the crowd, and for a moment Albus thought she had read his earlier thoughts, but then he reminded himself that she was, indeed, a Prefect.

Albus pushed himself upwards and off of the chair, quickly grabbing the tablet (which thankfully had gone unnoticed because everyone's attention had been on him) and shoved it under his arm, he ignored whatever Scorpius had started to say and walked towards his dormitory. He pushed open the door and made his way over to his trunk, leaning over he placed the tablet between a few soft articles of clothing. '_Safe for now_,' he thought, not bothering to question why he was treating it like a dear secret. The dream had startled him more than he realized, it seemed.

He shred himself of the clothing he had worn the day before and that night. Upon checking his muggle wristwatch (which his Grandfather Weasley had given him the Christmas before) he cussed when he realized he didn't have time to shower, so he quickly dressed into a fresh pair of Slytherin robes and was back out of the dormitory as fast as he had came to it. He found Scorpius waiting for him beside the now-empty leather armchair, "Why haven't you left for breakfast yet?" He questioned his best friend.

"Considering you've barely spoken since I've woken you, I thought it might be best if someone kept an eye on you."

Albus felt his ears turn rather warm; had his friend actually been... _Worried_? That wasn't something he would have expected from the Malfoy. He had seen woman down on their knees crying in front of the Slytherin and he had never even flashed them the look of concern he had seen on his friend's face only a while ago, "I see..."

"Right than, are you ready? If not you'd better hurry your arse up; just because I waited doesn't mean I don't want breakfast."

* * *

The day had never seemed to inch by as slowly as Albus nervously awaited his Potions class to end. The wristwatch read five minutes to his free time. He had decided he would head to the library so he check out all the books he could find about Ancient Runes. The text book hadn't seemed to help at all and he knew he would have to further his knowledge if he wished to crack the mystery of the tablet. _Four minutes_. There had also been that odd dream from last night. He couldn't seem to shake it off of his shoulders; it had felt all too real. The stone wall, the man's words, and the _pain_. _Three minutes_. And then, of course, there was that moment between Scorpius and him. That had all seemed all a bit too close for Scorpius to have simply been pulling something from his hair. _Two minutes_. Ugh! No, it was nothing, he was over analyzing things like he always had. Such a horrible habit. _One minute_. Why in Merlin's name was he still feeling rather disappointed, than? Could it be he had wanted for Scorpius to fill that space between the two? _BUH-RINNNNG!_

When the bell had rung, Albus was out of his seat faster then Professor Slughorn could finish the last sentence of his lesson, he was out the door and headed towards the library, his destination so zoned in that he didn't hear his best friend calling out for him to wait up. Even though he had literally just had an argument with himself over just what sort of feelings he harbored towards Scorpius, he only had one thing on his mind; the library.

He nodded once as a greeting to Madam Pince, who was quite used to Albus' presence in the library by now. He circled quickly through the different sections of the library, until he arrived at the Ancient Rune's category. He had been there a few times for assignments. It was to his own horror, that he found the _entire_ section was empty. He felt annoyance bubble up inside of him as he walked back over to Madam Pince, "Excuse me. Where have the Ancient Rune books gone? The entire section is empty."

"Oh yes, well actually we've just recently sent them out for a fine fixing."

"I've seen them plenty of times, they always seemed fine to me!"

"I haven't a clue what you're speaking about, Mr. Potter. The spines of the books were torn into pieces and the pages are barely visible. The person who was hired to fix these books is brilliant, I assure you they will come back better then ever."

No, that wasn't correct; Albus had seen those books plenty of times on the shelves. They were always in an okay condition, "Did someone destroy them?"

"I'm sorry, you should know I cannot tell you that sort of information. I assure you that they will all be returned safely in two weeks. If you have a project of some kind, Professor Faolan should be able to help you with any information you need, although I can't imagine he would have; he already knows all the books are gone for now."

Albus didn't need an answer from her; he already knew he had been correct with his assumption. Why else would the books so quickly have been in such a condition? He thanked her and turned for the exit of the library. He still had thirty minutes of his break, it was just enough time to briefly meet with Professor Faolan. He seemed like Albus' only hope at the moment, and he was determined to crack the ancient saying; he had almost become obsessed with his small project his sister had asked of him.


	3. Only You

**A/N:** Hi guys, I think I owe all of you an apology for taking so long to update this story. Between studying and other random going-ons my life has been a bit busy, but I will try my best to update. I very much enjoy writing this story so I doubt I will drop this project ;). Thank you for leaving all the lovely reviews as well, there's nothing more satisfying than knowing people are actually enjoying reading a story you've created!

**Disclaimer:** The characters and universe in this fanfiction all belong to the wonder J.K. Rowling.

* * *

**_Flashback, two years ago:_**

The memory was still quite clear in Albus' memory, it had been a crisp autumn day, the bright colours the leafs proudly displayed had only started to fall. It was quite clear that winter was near and the buzz of excitement for a promising Halloween fest was felt all around the Hogwart's castle. Scorpius Malfoy stood tall in his emerald Slyherin robes as he paced back and forth in the common room, Al's equally bright eyes watched his friend.

"If you don't stop, you might dig a hole into the floor, Scorpius."

His friend simply waved his hands dismissively, folding them behind his back and continuing his steps as he had for the past half-hour.

"I just don't understand. He's your father, why are you so worried?"

It was Albus' sentence that finally seemed to halt him, long enough for him to turn his cold gray gaze towards him, and say, "That's just the thing, Al. My father never visits me here. If it wasn't important news, don't you think he would have just owled me instead?"

He was right, Albus knew this much, but he simply shrugged his shoulders, "How do you know that it's not good news? Why are you set on some sort of horrid news?"

"If it were good news, he would have written me anyways, no matter how important."

He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in this new environment Scorpius seemed to have built up, wasn't he supposed to be the worry wort while Scorpius ran off and did careless foolishness? It was frustrating, not being able to calm his friend as he had always done. It wasn't long before his friend was called away from the common room, leaving Albus sitting alone.

Scorpius didn't attend the fest that night, in fact he wasn't waiting at the common room either, nor did he show as Albus and the other Slytherins of the same year dressed for bed. It had been near impossible for Albus to fall asleep, when all he could think about was where his friend could be. He pulled a night robe around him and shuffled quietly back into the common room. He sat on one of the large leather coaches, waiting for his best friend to show. At some point he must have dozed off, because the next thing he remembered was his shoulder being shaken. His eyes opened to find Scorpius leaning over him. His gray eyes were wide, and it was hard to miss the fact they were puffy and red, as though he had been crying. He mumbled something that Albus coudn't quite make out, that's when he realized his friend's breath smelt of alcohol.

He wasn't certain what he should begin with, so he said the first thing that slid out of his mouth, "Where have you been?"

The Malfoy didn't make any excuses, he simply remained bent over Albus as he bluntly said, "My mum is dead."

"W-What?" Albus asked in confusion, not quite believing what he had said. How could Astoria Malfoy be dead? Astoria Malfoy, with her long flowing dark hair, her warm motherly smile, and the sweet pumpkin brownies she had always made when Scorpius invited Albus over during summer break. It had been her who had openly accepted the friendship between the two of them.

"My mum is dead," Scorpius repeated, "She was killed... By the killing curse. Dad says it was an old Death Eater, that it was the group the Ministry has been hunting down for sometime now. Apparently our family had to pay for being traitors. Your dad is after them now, you know."

He gaped at his friend for a few moments, opening and closing his mouth to try and say something, but the only thing he could manage was "I-I'm so sorry, Scorpius..."

He just nodded, not replying, though he did finally back away from Albus and sunk onto the coach next to him, "She was so great, you know. I can still remember when-..."

"Don't." Scorpius demanded, cutting his sentence off, "Please don't... I don't think I can..." He didn't finish his own, though, because a line of salty tears begin to trickle down his cheeks and he buried his face into hi hands, mumbling something about how hard he had tried to pull himself together so Albus wouldn't see him in this state, "Damnit..."

He placed a hand firmly on his blonde friend's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze in an attempt to comfort him, "It's okay to cry. I don't mind..." And he didn't, he would never judge Scorpius, especially when he was in a condition such as this. So broken down... So heartbroken... He had never seen him this way, and it seemed to get to him as well.

"You're the only other person..." Scorpius begin to say, throughout gentle sobs, "That I could really be myself around. I loved my mum so much. Dad never really understood me, but she did... I don't know how I'm going to... Tough it through. I'd be completely lost if we hadn't made friends, you know."

"I know. I feel the same," and he did. Scorpius and him had always had a special connection since the beginning. The understood each other with a simple look, as though they could read each other's minds. Others noticed as well, they would often joke about how the two were always together, even though their personalities seemed to be completely opposite. The two of them wouldn't have it any other way.

They sat up that night together, and Albus listened to everything Scorpius had to say. His fears, his hopes, his dreams. By the morning their friendship had never been as close, and throughout the next year, Albus would help Scorpius live through the pain of losing his mother. He knew it had begun at some point during that time. His developing feelings for his best friend, and up to this day, he was still arguing with himself over how he truly felt. The thought of Scorpius marrying someone and depending on them instead of him... Seemed to cause a fuse of jealous rage in Al's chest, but he knew it would happen one day. The first few girls Scorpius had brought back into the common room had always caused a spark that would soon develop into a fight between the two friends, it was generally over nothing, the real issue at hand had always been shoved aside, both of them too afraid to dangle it in the other's face.

* * *

_**Present day:**_

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Potter?"

It was the presence of Professor Faolan that snapped Albus away from his long trail of thoughts, "Oh, yes," He replied, still in a slight daze, "May I come into your office? I think you'll be quite interested in what I have to show you."

"Of course you may," He told the younger man, moving out of the doorway so that Albus may enter, the large tablet packed away safely in his book bag, "please take a seat," he offered, gesturing toward a wooden chair across from his own. He closed the door behind him and took a seat as Al sat as well, "Well?" He asked, raising his eyebrows expectedly.

"Right," Albus set his brown book bag on the desk in front of him. He decided to start with the library, "Are you aware that at this very moment, all of the Ancient Runes books are missing?"

The Professor nodded his head, "I am."

Annoyed that he hadn't added more to his sentence, Albus took a breath and said, "And may I ask why?"

"Didn't Madam Pince tell you the reason?"

"She said they had been taken out for a fixing."

"Than that's where they've gone."

The Slytherin mumbled something under his breath. He had been hoping for more information.

"I have a feeling the books aren't the only reason you've payed me a visit."

"You're right," The black haired boy replied, nodding his head. He reached forward to unsnap the back pack and carefully pull the old rune from it, he then presented it to the Professor, who took no time accepting the offer. The two sat in silence for a long while before he spoke.

"Where did you ever come across this?" He asked him.

"My sister bought it, she said it was from a peddler."

The look the Professor shot him was enough to tell him he highly disapproved, "Those peddlers have been around since the Dark Lord's fall. I wouldn't trust them, tell your sister to be more careful."

Albus, however, was beginning to lose patience, "Right, I will. Can we figure out what it means?"

"I have projects of my own to get to, Mr. Potter," The man replied, passing the tablet back to him, "I view you as a promising student, though. So I do believe you can do it yourself. You could make a fine translator someday."

"It's sort of hard to do anything of the sort with the library emptied out of Ancient Runes books," Al reminded him.

"Ah, you're correct... And that is why..." He pushed back from his seat, turning to a shelf of books behind him that Albus hadn't noticed until that moment. A minute or so later he returned with a large book. It was easy to see it was at least a few centuries old, "If you promise to take great care of this, I think you'll find all the information you need in here."

"Thank you, Professor," He took no time to waste and stood from his chair, tucking the tablet back into his backpack and taking the large book, "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"It's all I can do but try my best to help. Now if you don't mind, I have my lesson plans to attend to. I'll have to bid you goodbye right now, Mr. Potter."

"Right," Al nodded, turning to head out of the office door, "Thank you again."

"Not a problem, my dear boy."


End file.
